Various applications will display a visual representation that corresponds to a user that the user can control through certain actions, such as selecting buttons on a remote or moving a controller in a certain manner. The visual representation is a computer representation that typically takes the form of a two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) model and is rendered in various applications, such as computer games, video games, chats, forums, communities, instant messaging services, and the like. The visual representation may be in the form of an avatar, a fanciful character, a cartoon image or animal, a cursor, a hand, or the like. Many computing applications such as computer games, multimedia applications, office applications, or the like provide a selection of predefined animated characters that may be selected for use in the application as the user's avatar. Typically, the animations performed by an avatar are selected from a library of animations. Users can choose for their avatars to perform specific animations from that library by pressing buttons or keys on a remote, for example.